Tajikistan: MAM Treatment Helps Malnourished Children Survive
Saidmehr was only one year old when his mother Malika was told that her son’s weight did not match his height as per the medical standards. The doctor identified him as underweight, given that he was eating nothing but breast milk, which at this age was not sufficient for his growth. His parents noticed that Saidmehr did not move or crawl like other children of his age, did not eat anything but milk, and even his smiles became less frequent. He was getting weaker day by day.
Malika and her husband live in a large family of eight in the village of Sangiston, Ayni district, one of the most mountainous and arduous areas in Tajikistan. Since 2017, over 7,000 children under the age of five in this district were identified as being underweight and each year, the newly identified malnourished children account for more than 38 percent of this amount. The major reason for Saidmehr and other children in Ayni district to not gain sufficient weight is that they do not receive the nutritious food they need. This is a complex issue that has economic as well as social reasons.
“Although I am not officially employed, I have a lot to do around the house. My day starts with milking the cows in the morning, then cleaning the house and preparing food for the family, then I go mow the grass and bring the cattle down from the hill, harvest and so on until the evening. My son stays with my mother-in-law. I feed him only when I come home,” Malika explains her reasons.
To address the problem of malnutrition and the subsequent negative impact that it may have on children, WFP Tajikistan, funded by the Japan Association of WFP (JAWF), began providing the identified children with specialized supplementary food, Super Cereal Plus, via its Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) treatment and prevention project. Since 2017, over 50 metric tons of this commodity was distributed to the needed population in Ayni district.
The staff of the local primary healthcare centres examines each registered child using special equipment to identify whether the child’s weight-for-height is appropriate. However, parents are also responsible and are advised to bring their children for examination if they seem not to gain weight.
“We strongly encourage parents to pay serious attention to their children’s weight and bring them to healthcare centres for examination if their weight seems to be low. They should be aware that wasting can cause many other health problems in their children in the future, including stunting, which cannot be treated. Our healthcare centres work very hard to find all the malnourished children in the district and admit them to treatment, however, it is not an easy task,” says Ansor Shamsiev, the deputy manager of Ayni district’s primary healthcare centres.
When Malika first came to the healthcare centre, Saidmehr was one year old, and his weight was 6 kg, which was not normal for his height, as per the doctor. As soon as Saidmehr was found to be moderately malnourished, he was immediately admitted to the MAM treatment programme. Malika was advised on how to prepare Super Cereal Plus and how often to feed her son. Once Saidmehr began treatment with the specialised nutrition food he started to gain weight and gradually improved.
Malika tried to make Super Cereal Plus tastier for her son by preparing it with milk, instead of boiled water. Since Saidmehr was already accustomed to milk, his body easily accepted the new food. “I was very happy to see my son gaining weight. The whole family noticed that he became more active and cheerful. Now he eats other foods like soups, vegetables, fruits, and yoghurt as well. Although this porridge was provided to us, I still feel pleased that I could contribute to saving my son from this health problem,” says Malika proudly.
Malika is one of the thousands of mothers whose child has benefited from the WFP MAM treatment project in Tajikistan. In addition to Ayni district, the project is being implemented in Kulob, Bokhtar, Jaloliddini Balkhi, and Dusti districts of Khatlon region, where tons of Super Cereal Plus are distributed every month. Since the project began in 2017, WFP has reached over 30,000 beneficiaries across the five target districts. The project has significantly improved the overall health condition of children under five years of age and makes a positive impact on the quality of life of the target population.
In addition to the MAM treatment project, WFP has also launched Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) activities, which aims to positively influence people’s behaviour regarding observing proper hand hygiene, reducing the consumption of cooking oil, and expanding the range of vegetables for preservation. All the interventions of this project are directed towards prevention of malnutrition and improving the overall health condition of children like Saidmehr as well as the people who surround them.
